Abstract

Background: Macrosomia is generally defined as birth weight of least 4000 g. Macrosomia increases the frequency of obstetric complications such as shoulder dystocia, perineal laceration or cesarean section and the risk of brachial plexus palsy, asphyxia and cerebral hemorrhage in newborn. Objective: The aim of this retrospective study is to examine the maternal and neonatal outcomes of macrosomic babies at Al -Yarmok Teaching Hospital, and to compare the outcomes in infants of diabetic and non-diabetic mothersPatients and methods: At Al-Yarmouk Teaching Hospital, gynecology and obstetric department, in cooperation with special care baby unit (SCBU) a retrospective analysis was conducted in a one-year period (from November 2009 to November 2010). The study group was all live born, singleton neonates with a birth weight of equal or more than 4000 g. The information was taken from the medical records of the mother and the infant The data analysis was performed with Medcalc statistical software. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. The outcomes were compared between the diabetic and non-diabetic groups using Fisher exact test.Results: During the study period, there were 8254 deliveries. Macrosomic infants were 165, representing 2%. The mean birth weight (standard deviation) of all macrosomic infants was 4363g (325g.) Of the165 macrosomic infants, 112(67.9%) born to non-diabetic mothers, while 53(32.1%) born to diabetic mothers. Seventy two infants of the total group (43.6%) were above 4500g, fifty three of them in the non-diabetic mothers(47.3% of the this group) . The diabetic mothers were significantly older than non- diabetic mothers (p<0.03). The mean gestational age at delivery(standard deviation) were 39.58weeks(SD0.87), 39.58weeks(SD 1.11) in the non-diabetic and diabetic mothers respectively, however, the difference was statistically not significant (p>0.58).Seventy percent of the non-diabetic group delivered by caesarean section, and 80% of the diabetic group delivered by caesarean section (p>0.14). After vaginal deliveries, there were four cases of vaginal tear, all of them seen in the non-diabetic mothers. Episiotomy was significantly higher in non-diabetic group (p=0.028). Hypoglycemia was significantly higher in the non-diabetic mothers (p=0.02), while the duration of hospitalization more than three days was significantly higher in the infant of diabetic mothers (p=0.05). Respiratory distress was seen in about quarter of the infants of diabetic mothers, in spite of 15% only of non-diabetic mothers had this complication, but this difference was not significant when evaluated by t-test(p=0.19). Birth trauma including shoulder dystocia, Bells palsy and fracture clavicle were seen in 4 infants, 2 in each group. The heavier infants were delivered by caesarean section more than those below4500g. Conclusion: Macrosomic infants represent a risk group for adverse neonatal outcome and maternal morbidities, regardless the diabetic status of the mother. In studied group, the hypoglycemia was higher in the infant of non-diabetic mothers than those of diabetic mothers. Our macrosomic infants tend to be heavier than what found in the literatures.

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The article was added to IASJ on 2012-09-12

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